Seeking to make the Snap! Internet portal service a household name among television viewers, NBC and CNET will launch a Snap! brand-awareness promotional campaign the week of July 27 across NBC’s program schedule.
Snap! is a joint venture of NBC and CNET.
The initial brand-awareness promotional campaign will air on NBC across all
dayparts for a six-week period, preceding a full launch campaign scheduled for
this fall. The initial campaign is expected to generate over 400 million
viewer impressions in the critical 18-to-49 year-old Internet demographic,
with the fall 1998 campaign to reach an even larger audience.
“Getting out there quickly with a demonstration of how the NBC-Snap!
combination works, is valuable,” said Martin J. Yudkovitz, president of NBC
Interactive Media. “We intend to make the most of the combined broadcast and
Internet reach of NBC and CNET to advantage the Snap! brand, especially as
more and more TV viewers begin to go online.”
“This initial awareness campaign is only the beginning of our joint effort to
empower Snap! with mass-media sensibilities as we work to make Snap! the
starting point of choice for U.S. television viewers,” said Halsey Minor,
chairman and CEO of CNET, and CEO of Snap!.
The Snap! initial awareness campaign was produced by Shelly Palmer Productions
and will air on NBC for six weeks, while Snap! is conducting detailed media
research and an extensive agency review to select an agency of record.
The initial promotional campaign rolls-out the week of July 27, centering on a
tagline that urges users: “Don’t suffer from information overload. Snap! out
of it! Search the Internet with Snap.com today!”
The campaign consists of “pain and relief” spots that position Snap! as the
solution for frustrated Internet users. The spots depict a frustrated Internet
user who turns to a psychiatrist for counseling on how to solve his muddled
Internet searching problems.
In June, NBC and CNET formed a joint venture to operate the “Snap!” Internet portal service. Initially, Snap! will be 81% owned by CNET and 19% owned by NBC, with NBC retaining the option to increase its ownership stake to 60%. Key NBC executives have assumed five seats on the Snap! board of directors, comprising the majority of the board. Additionally, NBC has purchased a 4.99% equity stake in CNET.
